Kilroy row sparks huge public debate

By Torin Douglas BBC Media correspondent

The public has been spurred to e-mail over the Kilroy debate

The Kilroy row has touched a nerve. Calls and e-mails have flooded into BBC News Online, Radio Five Live and local radio stations, fiercely debating whether Robert Kilroy-Silk was entitled to say what he did about the Arab states or whether those views disqualify him from presenting a topical talk programme.

It's the sort of topic which the Kilroy show itself might have been discussing, had it not been suspended while the BBC decides on its presenter's future.

The Daily and Sunday Express, where Kilroy's column appears, have appealed to "Middle Britain" to fight what they call the forces of political correctness in the name of free speech.

Others say the remarks were racist and he should not be allowed to chair a discussion show in which he has to be seen to maintain impartiality.

Back on air

The majority of those calling newspapers and BBC outlets say he should be allowed to continue as a presenter, even if they disapprove of what he said, a view encapsulated in these two e-mails to BBC News Online:

"It's much too late now to pretend that the article was not racist. That being said, I do believe in free speech, so I'm torn about whether he should be allowed back on the air."

And: "What he said was stupid and ignorant and certainly not what one would expect from someone employed by the BBC. I can understand and support their decision to suspend him. But that is as far as it should go."

Robert Kilroy-Silk owns the production company that makes the programme. In effect, he IS the show

Others have taken a much harder line on both sides of the argument, which means the BBC is caught between a rock and a hard place, facing criticism whatever it decides.

It is not making further comment until it reaches that decision, but insiders say it is not going to be rushed.

The key issue for the BBC is whether Mr Kilroy-Silk can be seen to be an impartial chairman of his talk show now that his views on this issue are so widely known.

Even though there was no public outcry when the Sunday Express originally printed the article last April, the BBC will have to judge the situation as it now stands.

The Muslim Council of Great Britain says his apology does not go far enough and the Commission for Racial Equality has referred the matter to the police.

Free speech

One complicating factor is that Robert Kilroy-Silk is not just a presenter. He owns the production company that makes the programme and employs the staff that produce it.

In effect, he IS the show. If he is judged by the BBC not to be a suitable presenter for the programme, can anyone else do the job?

The BBC is also expected to argue that this is not an issue of free speech, as some have portrayed it.

The fact is that many BBC presenters have to curb some of their activities as the price for doing their job.

That sometimes requires them to make a choice.

The former editor of Radio 4's Today programme, Rod Liddle, was made to choose between keeping that job and writing his column for the Guardian. He chose to leave the BBC.

Similarly, BBC staff cannot stand for Parliament if they are a presenter or reporter on a topical current affairs show.

One question now is whether the BBC will give Mr Kilroy-Silk such a choice, or make the decision for him. Either way, its eventual decision is likely to ignite the debate all over again.